The Lady Eve

( 9 )

Overview

Long considered one of the classic screwball comedies of all time, Preston Sturges' delirious comedy of the sexes The Lady Eve has been given a superb digital unveiling from the folks at The Criterion Collection. As with their disc of Sullivan's Travels (also directed by Sturges), the Criterion release of Eve is a sumptuous delight, beautifully preserving this madcap farce for a new generation of movie lovers who may not yet be acquainted with its oddball charms. The disc has been given a wonderful new digital ...
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DVD (Black & White / Mono)
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Overview

Long considered one of the classic screwball comedies of all time, Preston Sturges' delirious comedy of the sexes The Lady Eve has been given a superb digital unveiling from the folks at The Criterion Collection. As with their disc of Sullivan's Travels (also directed by Sturges), the Criterion release of Eve is a sumptuous delight, beautifully preserving this madcap farce for a new generation of movie lovers who may not yet be acquainted with its oddball charms. The disc has been given a wonderful new digital transfer (presented in its original full-screen format of 1.33:1), taken from a 35 mm duplicate negative, as well as a new audio boost. Sound and picture look great. The black-and-white picture is sharp and clean, with very little scratches or lines detected. The high-contrast transfer is always stable and is a definite improvement over previous video releases. That goes for the mono soundtrack as well. The dialogue is always clear and there is little to no audio hiss. In terms of extras, the disc has some very nice ones, including an excellent audio commentary track from film scholar Marian Keane. Her track is more of an audio essay than a scene-by-scene analysis of the film (though it does do that as well), as Keane talks at length about Sturges' deft skill at staging comedy and how he manages to juggle more than a few thematic balls in the air at once. Keane does not hide her love for the film, and her erudite and insightful comments are worth a good listen. The disc also includes an optional video introduction from director Peter Bogdanovich, who offers up some anecdotes about the making of the film and about the peculiar career of Eve's director. The original 1942 Lux Radio Theater adaptation has also been included, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ray Milland (taking over Henry Fonda's role). A peek at some Edith Head costumes that were used in the film (and some that weren't) has been added, as well as production stills and the original theatrical trailer. Liner notes from writer James Harvey have also been included. The disc will make a great companion to the above mentioned Sullivan's DVD.
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Special Features

New digital transfer; Audio commentary by noted film scholar Marian Keane; Video introduction by writer-director Peter Bogdanovich; The 1942 broadcast of the Lux Radio Theater adaptation, performed by Barbara Stanwyck and Ray Milland; Edith Head costume designs; Scrapbook of original publicity materials and production stills; Original theatrical trailer; English subtitles ; Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Richard Gilliam
The Lady Eve is among the funniest films of the World War II era, and one of the few comedies whose humor has survived both cultural changes and shifting audience demographics. Directed by Preston Sturges with his usual efficiency, the battle-of-the-sexes story allows star performers Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck to shine, though supporting performer William Demarest often steals the show. As was common in the censorship-laden war era, Sturges resorted to several clever sexual symbols. Fonda's character is an expert on snakes, and there is a funny moment when the audience catches the phallically suggestive book title, Are Snakes Necessary?. The dialogue is consistently bright and peppy. As Roger Ebert has pointed out, Fonda's steady, down-to-earth performance is necessary to allow Stanwyck's screwball character to shine.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 10/16/2001
  • UPC: 715515011624
  • Original Release: 1941

    • Rating:

  • Source: Criterion
  • Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1)
  • Presentation: Black & White / Mono
  • Sound: monaural
  • Time: 1:33:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 10,644

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Henry Fonda Charles Pike
Barbara Stanwyck Jean Harrington
Charles Coburn "Colonel" Harry Harrington
Eugene Pallette Mr. Pike
William Demarest Muggsy-Ambrose Murgatroyd
Eric Blore Sir Alfred McGlennon-Keith
Janet Beecher Mrs. Pike
Robert Greig Burrows
Abdullah Abbas Man with Potted Palm
Norman Ainsley Sir Alfred's Manservant
Luis Alberni Pike's Chief
Sam Ash Husband on Boat
Harry A. Bailey Lawyer in Pike's Office
Ambrose Barker Mac
Wilson Benge Butlers at Party
Wilda Bennett Party Guest
Evelyn Beresford Party Guest
Al Bridge Steward
Dora Clement Gertrude
Jimmy Conlin Steward
Melville Cooper Gerald
Georgia Cooper
Eva Dennison Mother on Boat
Harry Depp Man With Glasses on Boat
Helen Dickson Mother on Boat
Pauline Drake Social Secretary
Robert Dudley Husband on Boat
Betty Farrington Mother on Boat
Ray Flynn Lawyer
Almeda Fowler Mother on Boat
Kenneth Gibson Party Guest
Alfred Hall Party Guest
John Hartley Young Man on Boat
Arthur Hoyt Lawyer at Telephone in Pike's Office
Arthur Stuart Hull Party Guest
J.W. Johnston Lawyer
Bertram Marburgh Party Guest
Wanda McKay Daughter on Boat
George Melford Party Guest
Torben Meyer Purser
Esther Michelson Wife on Boat
Frank Moran Bartender at Party
Ella Neal Daughter on Boat
Joe North Butler at Party
Martha O'Driscoll Martha
Jean Phillips Sweetie
Victor Potel Steward
Frances Raymond Old Lady on Boat
Jack Richardson Father of Girl on Boat
Cyril Ring Husband on Boat
Harry Rosenthal Piano Tuner
Reginald Sheffield Prof. Jones
Julius Tannen Lawyer
Walter Walker Sparky
Robert Warwick Passenger
Pat West Bartender
Gayne Whitman Party Guest
Technical Credits
Preston Sturges Director, Screenwriter
Hans Dreier Art Director
Ernst Fegte Art Director
Stuart Gilmore Editor
Edith Head Costumes/Costume Designer
Monckton Hoffe Screenwriter
Don Johnson Sound/Sound Designer
Paul Jones Producer
Sigmund Krumgold Score Composer, Musical Direction/Supervision
Harry Lindgren Sound/Sound Designer
Victor Milner Cinematographer
Wally Westmore Makeup
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Scene Index

Side #1 --
0. Chapters
1. Logos/Titles [1:28]
2. Up The Amazon [1:49]
3. "The ale that won for Yale" [1:38]
4. A Chance Meeting [3:40]
5. "See anything you like?" [3:57]
6. A Game of Cards [5:17]
7. Jean's Ideal [6:05]
8. Muggsy Suspects [2:56]
9. Scotch for Breakfast [2:09]
10. "Snakes and all" [2:39]
11. High Stakes [6:48]
12. A Moonlit Deck [2:04]
13. The Morning After [2:43]
14. "Not nearly as bad" [6:27]
15. Revenge [1:42]
16. Unfinished Business [2:53]
17. Preparations at the Pikes' [3:59]
18. The Lady Eve [2:20]
19. "Never been in South America" [4:09]
20. "The same dame" [4:36]
21. Sidwich Family Secrets [3:10]
22. Pike's Pitch [4:22]
23. The Big Day [2:41]
24. Angus, Herman, Vernon [6:54]
25. Negotiations [3:29]
26. "Positively the same dame" [3:40]
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Menu

Side #1 --
   Play the Movie
   Peter Bogdanovich Introduction
   Lux Radio Theater Program
      Play Program
         Introduction Featuring Cecil B. De Mille
         Act One
         Act Two
         Curtain Call
   Commentary
      Play
      Index
         Comedies of Remarriage
         Pursuits of Knowledge
         Con Business
         Mirror as Surrogate
         Similarities and Differences
         Gullability
         Romantic Ideal
         Combining Worlds
         Private Togetherness
         Jean's Genuineness
         Sturges' Tricks
         Shared History
         Reflections
         Real and Fake Worlds
         Jean's Transformation
         Identity and Roles
         Character Mayhem
         "A green world"
         Genius Dialogue
         Artifice and Art
         Hopsy Knows Nothing
         Eve's Apotheosis
         The False Marriage
         Lessons in Forgiveness
         Part of the Human Race
         The Authentic Marriage
   Scrapbook
   Edith Head Costume Designs
   Trailer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 9 )
Rating Distribution

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(8)

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Sort by: Showing all of 9 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    LOUSY TRANSFER OF CLASSIC SCREWBALL!

    ¿The Lady Eve' is one of director, Preston Sturges' sinful, guilty pleasures. The plot involves Jean Harrington, a man-eater played to perfection by Barbara Stanwyck, who sets her sights on dim-witted millionaire, Charles Pike (Henry Fonda). After nearly wooing him into signing over his fortune, Charles discovers the truth about Jean and retreats to his country home to convalesce. But Jean¿s scheming doesn't end there. Together with her unscrupulous gambling father (Charles Coburn) Jean plots to win Charles¿ heart back ¿ all the while losing hers to him in the process. Criterion has redefined what is meant by their tag line of 'Sparkling new digital transfer'. There is nothing new or sparkling about the print used in the mastering of this DVD. It is faded, worn and exhibits nearly every ravage of time, including tears, chips, scratches and water damage worthy of a complete restoration effort. Worse, the DVD mastering is shoddy, with an excessive amount of edge enhancement, aliasing and fine detail shimmering that completely distracts one from enjoying the performances. Film and digital grain is excessive and distracting. Tiling in the background information is also glaringly obvious and present throughout. The gray scale of this disc reads more like a muddy haze of undistinguished tonality in which all details get buried under and lost. The audio is mono and strident, scratchy and worn. Extras include a Lux Radio Broadcast of the movie for those who want to turn off their television and just listen to the movie in its audio form (boring!) and an audio commentary that, while informative, doesn¿t offer any revelations. Unfortunately, Criterion's penny pinching on quality is not reflected in their asking price. Like Charles in ¿The Lady Eve¿ one feels a genuine sense of being suckered.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    stanwyck is sensational!

    this movie is absolutely a gem! written and directed by preston sturges, this movie just showcases the wit of the director/writer and how great an actress barbara stanwyck is. both arent very well known today and it is a pity. the criterion dvd has excellent extras too. henry fonda plays the straight man in the movie with lots of pratfalls and he is jsut adorable too.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Stanwyck is sensational

    'The Lady Eve' is a terrific movie in almost every way. Stanwyck and Fonda have wonderful screen chemistry. The writing for this movie is sharp, clever, and very smooth. Fine movie and extremely modern for the time it was made. As usual, Stanwyck combines both toughness and vulnerability is an endearing way that makes her enormously attractive. I have never seen an actress who rivals her, with the possible exception of Bette Davis, who never attained Stanwyck's versatility. If you haven't seen this movie, do so, by all means!

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    Posted July 23, 2009

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    Posted October 27, 2008

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    Posted August 13, 2009

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    Posted October 8, 2008

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    Posted July 26, 2010

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    Posted January 2, 2010

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Sort by: Showing all of 9 Customer Reviews